I changed mine today at 8k miles (in 8 1/2 months) -- Service Indicator is showing 8k to service.

I used ramps at the rear, and jacked the front fromt the central jack point and supported the front on jack stands at the suspension arm pivot points. I noticed when the filter is removed there is about 1/10 liter of oil in the bottom of the housing. I used my MityVac to suck it out, though you could use an old turkey baster. I poured about the same amount of fresh oil into the bottom before reinstalling the filter.

I put in 8 1/4 liters before restarting the car. It took quite a while to get a reading, and was then showing near the bottom of ths scale with a "+1" notation. I added another 1/2 liter, but was unable to get a different reading in the garage. I'll check it again after driving.

The car always seems to run better after an oil change--pyscholocical, I know, but it makes you feel good.

Edit: The electronic oil monitoring system and lack of a dipstick continue to frustrate me. If the system were secondary, that's fine, but why do away with the dipstick? After putting in 8.75 liters (stated capacity is 8.8) and driving a couple times, the system is still telling me to add 1 quart -- would you trust it? If it had a disptick there would be no question. Just really stupid!

Awesome thread! Did my midlife oil change today; the oil looked ok; it had quite a few track days/highspeed autobahn adventures. But the oil filter looked like crap. Since the1200 mile service this is the second time ive had my oil changed and my car has 18,000 miles on the O.D. This car sat in the garage all winter only driven on non freezing days and it's only one year old. The rear sump takes forever to drain! I thought it would never stop dripping. 8.8 liters is the magic number my electronic dipstick was spot on at the full mark.

i'm sorry to bring this up, but i'd like to know if the m6 or m8 bolt is closer to the front bumper. thanks in advance.

Mine are both the same size, not sure which off the top of my head. I assume they list 2 sizes and torques because some engines have one and some have the other. If you have M6 use 10Nm, if you have M8 use 18Nm.

do you guys usually remove the remaining oil left in the oil filter housing? Dealer does not as I watched lol, not that half quart is going to hurt anything out of the 9 other quarts in the system along with the additional in the oil cooler and lines... but curious

do you guys usually remove the remaining oil left in the oil filter housing?

I did. Not a big deal, but made me feel good . That'll probably put me right at 9 bottles. Bought 10 in case I need a bit more. Will find out next time I use the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by asloudasitgets

damn i guess it is true bmw people on these boards are

First of all, if you were smart, you wouldn't generalize; why the hell are you insulting every member here rather than me alone ? Second of all, are people like you who are too lazy to read the freaking thread before asking something already discussed. And if you read it but didn't understand, you shouldn't be attempting to change the oil on your $70K car. It's not like we're not trying to help, but there's only so much you can 'teach' somebody over the internet. It's for your own good. Search for oil changes gone bad, and you'll find even dealer techs screwed up.

If you're serious about learning, start a thread on your regional forum and offer pizza or something to help you change the oil at your place. That's the best way to learn. Just make sure you have the extra tools needed, which are a 36mm socket, a proper torque wrench, a low-profile jack, and ramps and/or jack stands. You'll be surprised how much more helpful we can be if you ask the right way .

do you guys usually remove the remaining oil left in the oil filter housing? Dealer does not as I watched lol, not that half quart is going to hurt anything out of the 9 other quarts in the system along with the additional in the oil cooler and lines... but curious

I do, with my MityVac, but there is probably only 0.1 liter in there - not enough to worry about.

I do, with my MityVac, but there is probably only 0.1 liter in there - not enough to worry about.

It's actually 180ml (0.18 liter), measured with a syringe, so you were 80% off . But I sucked oil all the way down with a long needle, not just to the base. Must be a valve somewhere, as oil should just flow down into the engine, no? Still not enough to worry about, but more than I thought. Next time I'll suck it with my vacuum fluid extractor, but wanted to measure it this first time just for kicks. The good news is 8.8 + 0.2 = 9.0 ltr, so no need to store 0.2L anymore . Good day.

I changed the oil this past weekend with the help of this writeup. It was my first time changing the oil in any car. I made a bit of a mess in the garage moving the drain pans around, but overall things were good.

I wonder if the electronic dipstick's sensitivity is just tuned to a very small range. I let the oil drain out for a very long time (needed to grab a lighter duty torque wrench after realizing mine only went down to 30 N-m, so a friend went with me in his car while mine kept draining) and changed the filter, so there probably wasn't much oil left in the car. I initially added 8.5L, and it read low. I think by the end I added around 8.7L and the reading is close to the top arrow now.

Oh, and my allegedly "low profile" jack can't get under the car to the front center jack point, so I have to jack up one of the front corners, put a ramp under the wheel, lower the car, and then move the jack under to the center jack point to get it on stands. PITA, but it works fine.

I find that hard to believe. Maybe they should have deleted the filler cap too and used a "lifetime" oil fill?

If they could do a lifetime engine oil fill, they would. They're already there on differentials and gearboxes. Of course it's tempting to say that "lifetime" is "until it fails", which really covers all the bases!

I read somewhere a while ago that BMW was working toward a goal of owners never opening the hood of their cars. If I didn't track mine, I'd never open the hood. If I didn't do the occasional oil change on my wife's E90, I'd never open the hood. In reality, that's probably what made this happen. Once the cost of sensors fell below the cost of all the fiddly little parts involved in a dipstick, the outcome was inevitable.

The whole reason why BMW phased out dipsticks is because of emissions.

With a freaking 14/20 EPA rating, and a carbon footprint the size of Texas? Yeah, right . I say it's because of space. Look around the big sump and you'll find no place for a dipstick without tearing it to pieces during engine installation. Maybe I'm wrong too, but definitely 'righter' than you . Have a good one.

With a freaking 14/20 EPA rating, and a carbon footprint the size of Texas? Yeah, right . I say it's because of space. Look around the big sump and you'll find no place for a dipstick without tearing it to pieces during engine installation. Maybe I'm wrong too, but definitely 'righter' than you . Have a good one.

Why doesn't the N51, N52, and N52k have dip stick? Why doesn't the 335d not have a dip stick?

MUCH less carbon footprint on those.

You guys don't get it? It's all about emissions now. Look at Ferrari putting electric motors on their cars to meet emission standards.